Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Cousin Jack, Shipwreck Survivor Too!

I wrote earlier about my grandfather's first cousin, Jacob "Jack" Landor who had a colorful life. He was kidnapped as a small child, was caught as a stowaway trying to get to the United States, applied for citizenship in at least two countries, and traveled the world. That all is covered here. But now it seems like he was part of another historic event.

Jack Landor, Arrival to Liverpool, 1943

Jack was listed (on his own page) on a manifest for passengers arriving in Liverpool England on April 8, 1943. Right above his name, it says he was an "officer survivor from S.S. Empress of Canada."

Cousin Jack as an "Officer Survivor from S.S. Empress of Canada"

The Empress of Canada was apparently sunk off the coast of Africa by an Italian submarine that March 13 right in the middle of WWII. (Details can be seen here.) The survivors from the wreck were brought to England--Jack among them, apparently!

Jack was heading to "Hebrew Corner" on Pelvey Way in Guildford. He didn't stay there too long, since the following May he landed in New York and enlisted in the US Navy.

I just found reference to him in an Immigration & Naturalization (INS) hearing as well, so it looks like there may be more to write on Jack's crazy life in the future!

4 comments:

he was such a great guy. He looked so much like my dad, that when he came to visit I would get them mixed up. and he always brought us tchochkes from all over the world, as well as send postcards because he knew we collected stamps. I still recall his flowery beautiful handwriting on those postcards.